The girls had showered changed and geared up to make another run at the morgue. "Ok ready to do this girls?" Asked Sunset as the stood at the door.
"I-I think so." Twilight said nervously.
"Alright let's do this!" Sonata said with an attempted serious face that was was just more cute than anything.
"They head in and make it half way there when out of a door comes Twilight's ghost friend. "Sorry, we need to stop meeting like this." She said as she continued on her way leaving Twilight dripping in slime again.
Aria snickered as she called over the radio. "Ray, you owe me fifty, the same ghost got slimied again. So start you timer." Her voice clearly showing her mirth.
"Aria don't bet on us." Chided Sunset trying not to laugh herself.
Twilight screamed her magic briefly flaring to life and removing the offensive substance from her. That's better." She said curtly as she moved ahead.
"Wowza! She is scary when she gets like that." Sonata said while removing herself from a corner she'd backed herself into.
Adagio looked at Sunset. "We need to keep an eye on her from now on. If she gets to stressed and unleashes that power again it'll make things here worse."
"I think it would be a good idea if she took a week or two in Equestria after this mess. After all we grew up with magic, she only got it dumped on her." whispered
Sunset.
Adagio nodded "You need to be the one to take her then. You need to go and confront Princess Celestia anyway so you're the best choice Sunset." Adagio whispered back. "For now just stick close to her in case she needs you, I'll handle the rest."
"Right. Also maybe seeing the real me will help her out of this crush." She whispered back.
Adagio looked at Sunset and stopped walking. "Sunset I've been alive for a long time now and and I've seen a lot of things in my time. I can tell for sure that this isn't a crush. She has real and genuine feelings for you and has effectively stated that she doesn't care about you being a unicorn in Equestria. You need to stop dismissing her feelings and treat them like the real things they are. You also need to confront them in an honest fashion instead of just trying to dodge them like you're doing. You are, whether not you admit it making a lifetime commitment with what we're doing right now and need to accept everything that comes with it." Adagio whispered hotly before she resumed walking.
After a few minutes they reached the door the P.K.E. meters going crazy.
"Girls we're going to have real trouble with this one I think." Twilight said as she studied the readings.
They slowly opened the door and well the morgue wasn't there. In its place was a pocket dimension with floating coffin stairs leading down to a walk way made of bodies that led to what looked like a throne room/audience chamber in old castles. "Egon are you reading this?" asked Sunset
"Affirmative, this is unprecedented a fu'l stabilized cross dimensional pocket. If possible scan as much as you can in fact this is the perfect Tim to test the paragoggles new digital recording mode. Just switch it on and it will record what your seeing, but you can't scan while it's active." Said Egon over the radio.
"Right, Aria, Twilight, can you two run camera?" asked Sunset
Sonata was taking a scan of the portal.
"Okay Aria I guess that means we're on point then." Twilight said lowering her paragoggles and pressing record.
As they enter the portal the energies inside caused each to pony up twilight taking the longer hair and ears, but the Dazzlings and sunset went farther sunsets feet turned to hooves, her body became covered in fur, a tail sprouted from her spine tip and her head returned to her natural pony head horn and all. The Dazzlings skin became scales, their heads returned to how they where in Equestria, the fins in their pony up appeared on their backs, and there legs replaced by tails. "Keep moving." said Adagio
As the group descended the stairs the door slammed shut and the coffins in front and behind them popped open with a walls of bleeding skulls blocking their path. Then a echoed voice came from every direction. "Mortals! You dare trespass in my home!"
"Um girls, what do we do?" asked Twilight
"Hey! We own the building and their was no sign saying you lived in here! So we didn't, and couldn't know!" shouted Sonata
"Umm... Okay, fair point. I guess I need to put a pot of coffee on. Please wait in the room ahead." The walls turn to dust and coffins snap closed.
"Wow that was. Unexpected?" said Sunset
Twilight's right eye twitched. "Did Sonata just tell off the ghost?" In her confusion her eyes strayed to Sunset and she got caught up in her partly native form momentarily. Shaking her head Twilight looked over at the adorable sire who just smiled and squeed. "I think we just need to go into the waiting room and talk to the ghost then."
They traveled down to the hall below. "Reminds me of Celestia's throne room. Only more gothic." Said Sunset As she looked at the black marble with what looks like humans frozen below the surface.
"It's definitely different." Twilight said nervously.
After a few minutes the clicking of a set of four hooves could be heard. Then from a side door a demon trotted in pushing a floating cart with coffee on it. He had blue fur goat like horns horse hooves a dragons tail, the torso of a man and the beak of a flamingo. Around his neck hung a gem that they could hear tortured screams from. "Greeting, I'm Potarkin Dillfathos Arcamieds Nellfeth the hundred and seventy second. But please call me Po. I guess your new ownership of the building is why things where so noisy today. Cleaning house as it were. Can't say I blame you lot of my upstairs neighbors are quite rude or spiteful."
"Umm, excuse me, but why are you here anyway?" Twilight questioned
"Oh straight to the point. Fair given your Ghostbusters. Yes I'm up on current events. I do have a T.V., but any way. The reason I'm here is well self punishment. You see I'm a devil and devils live by laws. I can have only the souls owed or paid to me. This means they must be offered by their owners or taken by another's hand in my name, or under set rules. Like I will make X the greatest solider to ever live in return I get the souls of everyone X kills. It's a business, but I need to possess a human host to work as this pocket world the gate and I can't normally interact in the physical world. After six thousand years I thought I was good. But when I tried to possess a at the time young and surprisingly strong willed doctor, I was beaten and trapped in his mind. To get back at him I tormented his sleep. But this led to him well creating this fine institution. Which as a gay man myself I took offence to his definition of crazy/possessed. That said, I could not stop him but I could help his victims sort of. As he got older I gained control of his sleeping form. That and a mask I was able to make deals to help those that actually didn't belong here. After his death I well stayed here to hinder his legacy, but that didn't hold well with my family. That abomination in the grave yard was them trying to get at me. Over the years I have done a lot to help the L.G.B.T. community. Through those that survived this place. Between vessels I live hear granting revenge to those the doctor wronged." He holds up the amulet. "And playing Catchamón on my joyboy and reading fan fiction of My Little Dragons. Well that's the short of it. How is the coffee? Need more sugar? Sorry I'm not used to guests." He seemed a bit nervous as he talked and definitely regretted what he caused.
"Wow so that whole man's mad obsession was caused by one mistake made by you? I guess even devils can make mistakes. Though that you have tried to fix it showed you are at least a devil of... honor? I guess." Said Sunset as she drank her coffee black.
"They say even angels can fall. Given we devil where born of angels that fought demons. Be careful those that fight monsters lest you become one yourself. As it were. So what now? Any more questions?" asked Po
Twilight looked at Sunset's part pony form without really seeing it. "I guess." said Twilight "We need to deal with the doctor and get him contained or this place will never be freed. I'm not sure how we'll do that though." She said rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Right now I am curious as to why I've Ponied up and why the rest of the girls have taken on their native Equestrian forms. Something about it doesn't quite fit to me."
"Umm," said Sonata "actually were not. She still have large amount of human traits. Twilight. I mean we still have hands Sunset still on two legs and while are heads a tail are back there is not exactly right."
Sunset chuckled "Yeah if I was in pony form my flanks would be lot bigger and my mammary glands would be smaller and not where they are now. This is like we stopped half way between human and pony."
"It's probably my magic. I used a lot to make this place and the residual energy probably caused a reaction in the polymorph spell that is forcing your fur to be human. As to why you ponied up Twilight, it's probably you bodies learned reaction to large flows of energy. On the doctor however. He is very much contained." He hold out his pendant. "He is trapped in this with the vengeful souls of a hundred of his victims that sold me their souls for revenge. He's not going anywhere." Po smiled with his beak.
"That's right, you told your native form if a quadruped Sunset. You three never really explained to me what your native form where like so for all I knew this is right. I think, I'm having some trouble here to be honest. I'm still worried Midnight will come out again so I'm probably not thinking clearly." said Twilight
"Oh that's what I'm sensing." Po moved in close and sniffed her. "I see power drunk, greed, and hunger. Oh the irony. If I had met you sooner the deal and trouble we could have had. But I think we are off topic you're all armed and the hospital's new owners that means me and the other spooks are getting shoved in those nasty little boxes. Right? If that's the case can you come back after the season finale of Sherlock. I do love detective stories."
"Well maybe we can make a deal. I mean you are bound by the deal's you make right?" asked Sunset
"Now now Sunset we all tried to take over one world or another already. We don't need to make deal's with devils." said Adagio
"Yes. I am it's the rules of my race. Just as you suspect. But I fail to see what your getting at." said Po
"Uh Sunset what are you getting at?" queried Twilight
"Oh it's simple. He is older then all of us even with our powers we probably can't trap him. That said we don't have to. We can make a deal. In return for a better room say upper floor of one of the wings. Add in a real view. No rent and actual friends. In return you help Twilight run the office and act as the on call consultant and if there is ever a containment breach if you said in recapturing the escaped ghosts you can keep ten percent of them as composition for the extra work. Those sound like fair terms?" said Sunset
Twilight cocked her head. "That could work actually."
"Besides he's polite and wants to make amends. All of our team is the same. I tried to invade my home world with a army of brain washed teens, the dazzlings destroyed whole cities, and Twilight almost destroyed both worlds. Consider this a chance to regain your families wings back. After all if a Angel can fall then can't a devil rise?" Said Sunset.
"A repentant devil? A redeemed one? Your certainly the idealist aren't you." Asked Po
"Hay it is what we believe in. Every pony needs a second chance." Said Sunsets
"Right here." He snaps his fingers and a scroll appears made of gold with writing that can be assumed is blood. "Its all their in blood on gold as you said. But only the one who owns the building can sign as they are the only one can legally make this deal. So who wants the knife." Twilight turned pale and gulped.
"Thats you Twilight. I mean you are the only one in the room that's a legal citizen." said Aria
"And he will be working with you in the office and lab." said Sunset
It's not like I didn't know that!" Twilight shot back. "This is gonna suck." She said deflating.
"Just need to prick your thumb and press it to page, the big ornate knife is just for show really a pin would work as well, I just don't have one. But you have to do the deed." explained Po
"Here goes something." Twilight said nervously as she pricked her thumb with the knife.
"Now just sign on the dotted line. Press your thumb on it." He point as he said this.
"O-okay." Twilight replied pressing her thumb on the dotted line.
The blood formed in to strange letters across the line. "The deal is set." The contract rolled up and vanished then a good chain tattoo appears on Twilight's wrist as the pricked thumb healed. "The tattoo represents our contract you can also contact me by it."
"How am I going to explain this to Rainbow? She is so getting on my case for this, and probably Applejack and Pinkie too." Twilight said exasperatedly.
"Hey at least you didn't sell you soul." said Adagio
Twilight began pacing around the room not really hearing Adagio. "Oh and then there is my family. What do I tell them? Hey mom, her dad I just wanted to let you know that I made a deal with a devil and that's how I got this magic tattoo that somehow functions as a crazy interdimensional cell phone!" What will my brother think? And Cadence, what about Cadence? Oh she'll just love this!" Twilight said still pacing and waving her arms around wildly.
Sonata leaned into Sunset. "You might want to step in here before we lose her completely Sunny."
Sunset walks over to Twilight and grabs her by her shoulders. "Twilight we need you to calm down and focus!" Shouted Sunset shaking Twilight out of her freak out. "Now just concentrate Twilight, we need you to keep your head on straight. I know this is a lot to take in and it's not easy to do all at once but you're smarter than this." Sunset sighed as Twilight looked at her. "As for your family we will just tell them that you lost a bet to Rainbow and she got to choose the tattoo, it's something that could happen anyway so they'll believe it. Okay Sparky?"
Twilight nodded "Yeah that does sound like something she would do doesn't it?" Twilight smiled "Thanks Sunset you're a good friend."
Sunset smiled and Sonata giggled at the sight.
"Yeah and it will help because Dash has the ego to claim it's true." said Aria
"She certainly like to take credit for certain things alright." Twilight said with a giggle.
"Okay now that Twilight is back on track we need to finish up here." Adagio said "We still have a lot of work in front of us an waiting around isn't going to get it done."
"I'll start setting up my new room don't worry this place will back to normal in snap. Oh wow windows. Maybe I can finally find a nice boyfriend now that I will have a nicer place to invite him." Said Po As he trotted off.
"Okay girls we need to get organized here and decide how best to proceed." said Twilight
The girls leave returning to normal and when they look back they see the morgue open normal and empty, save for a thick layer of dust. "Girls can you read me we lost signal shortly after you entered. Is everyone okay? What happened?" asked Egon
"Yeah what was in their? Did the cameras get it? Did it have multiple heads, tentacles, and ooze slime?" asked Ray
"Doctor Spengler, Doctor Stanz the morgue is clear and we're getting ready to move on to the last signal to finish up here." Twilight replied
"Good to hear but, why is Twilight reading point seven six three percent higher then her base line P.K.E reading?" asked Egon
"Twilight's magic flared up after that same ghost slimed her again, I think she might be growing in her magical abilities but I'm not sure yet Egon." Adagio replied "We'll need to take some readings and do some testing in the long run because Sunset is still not sure about the long term consequences of natives of this world being vessels for Equestrian magic."
"That's troubling. Also be sure to be careful. The last readings were significant, has she started acting strange?" said Egon
"She did panic again. said Sonata "Sunny calmed her down by talking to her though. We really need to get this done, she really isn't that good at handling this stuff."
"I'll say." Twilight replied in small voice.
"Okay be careful I'll go over the recordings when your done." said Egon
"Right." Said Sunset as the girl's started for the last major spike.
At a hall way intersection Twilight again was slimmed by the ghost girl. "Sorry can't talk now." She said rushing by.
"Celestia! How many time have you been accidentally slimed by the same ghost?" asked Sunset
"Well she's heading for the signal. Maybe Twilight can trap her." Said a smirking Aria.
"Four times now." Twilight deadpanned "And something tells me she might know what's going on, after her!"
"Either she is right, or it's personal this time." Said Sonata as she followed.
"Given that it's the most intimate relationship she has had with anyone maybe she wants to catch her and keep her as a plaything." Teased Aria, this got her a punch in the arm from Sunset. "Ow! Was just a joke."
"Not a funny one." said Sunset
Adagio and Sonata both glared at Aria as the followed Twilight.
The ghost vanished in to a room marked with a sign, 'Hospital Administrater's Private Lab.' After a moment the ghost girl came flying out the door backwards. "You could at least say thanks you old bastard!" A clawed hand reaches out grabs her by the face slams her to the floor drags her in to the room again. Several loud crashes and then the girl came back out and splats on the wall she reforms and and sticks her tongue out. "Some doctor, you can't kill the dead."
"Let's get in there and stop this." Twilight said
"Um Twilight. That thing in there has at least a fifteen foot reach and claws." Said Sunset pointing at the door.
"Yeah we need a plan. We can't just run in and blast it." said Adagio
"Sure we can." Said Aria smiling.
"I'm with Aria on this one." said Twilight "We'll be much more likely to catch it off guard that way."
Sonata then slimes Twilight causing everyone to gasp. "What? She is clearly possessed, she is agreeing with Aria!"
"What I can't have good ideas?" asked Aria
"Not normally." said Adagio
Twilight glared at Sonata. "Oh Sonata, sweetie could you not do that gain unless it's really necessary?" Menaced Twilight while sounding surprisingly sweet.
"Sorry." Sonata said with a gulp.
They formed up on the door. "Ok on three we kick in and go in blasting." Said Sunset. "One, two, Three!"
Aria kicked the door then was blasted back in to the wall going through the ghost girl they forgotten about. "Ok that hurt."
"Ugh so much for surprise. Now we know planning won't work either." said Twilight "Not unless we can find out about what's in there." She then turned to the ghost who had repeatedly slimed her. "So what can you tell us?"
"Oh that is, or was Doctor Munchhausen lab. Now it still is but well, she's not the same doctor she was in life. I think finding out after she died that a lot of what she believed she was doing was wrong made her go a little crazy." Said the girl.
"Doctor Spengler we have a huge problem. We need to find a way to deal with the ghost of a doctor that who's beliefs were shattered by her passing. She is currently far too powerful to even approach right now. We're at an impasse and need advice." Said Twilight over her radio.
"Well whenever we find a door locked we normally kick it in if that fails try blasting it open." Said Ray over the radio.
"That's not a very scientific strategy Ray." Said Egon so the girls could hear him. "That aside a concentrated boson dart volley should do the job."
"Yeah we tried a surprise attack and got repulsed." Twilight replied. "Still it does seem like Aria's idea of using direct force is the only approach left open to us. Alright girls lets heat em' up!" Said Twilight switching to her Boson Darts.
"Can I make a suggestion?" Asked the ghost girl. Drawing everyone's attention. "She keeps her trophies, diploma, and doctorate on the other side of that wall to the left of the door." she smiled.
"There is a problem with that, we can't get in the door. She's too powerful for us to get in there." said Twilight
"Actually no, you've missed what she saying." Said Adagio walking up to set her hand on the wall. "When you want to be alone you lock the door. But how often do you expect guests to make their own." She looks over her shoulder and smirks, before taking out her lipstick and drawing a bull's eye on the wall. "So who is ready to start renovations with a blast?"asked Adagio
Twilight actually smirked. "Just try and stop me Adagio." She said blasting the wall with a couple of Boson Darts.
There was a massive blast and the sound of crumbling wood and plaster and glass. Then a ear piercing scream. "My honors!" The door burst opens flying past the girls missing them by inches and splating the ghost girl on the wall. A hunched over ghost with long arms and legs, clawed hands and feet, massive gaping mouth and twisted face in blood and slime stained lab coat, crawled out the door. "You all will pay for this!"
"Do you take kirin medical coverage?" Said Sonata before blasting the ghost with slime.
"Here's your payment!" Shouted Twilight while loosing a couple of Boson Darts.
The ghost wails then vanished. "You will suffer!" The sound of shattering glass came from the lab then the twisted ghosts looking like they where stitched together came rushing at them.
"Get down!" Twilight said tackling Sonata out of the way.
The girls hit the floor as the swarm fills the hallway taking swings and batting at them.
"I'm getting really sick of this." Shouted Adagio as switched to her shock blaster and began blasting at the swarm from the floor.
"Hey we knew when we bought the place it was going to be a fixer upper." Said Sunset as she started using the stasis stream slowing the ghosts down.
"Good point." Twilight said getting to her feet and blasting the ghosts with her Proton Stream.
"This does kind of suck though." Sonata replied
"Are you kidding? I haven't had this much fun since we had that last village burn it's self to the ground fighting over us!" Shouted Aria as she was jumping around with her photon pistols capture stream slamming ghost in to her traps that she had scattered when the dropped to the floor. She was so in to the moment she had actually ponied up.
"She was always the aggressive one." Deadpanned Adagio.
"Whatever keeps us alive right now is fine by me." Twilight said slamming a ghost into a trap.
"Beside Dagi we've had waayy worse than this." said Sonata
"Please Sonata don't bring up that school of merlocks again. I admitted my mistake and made up for it. And it was the only time till Star Swirl revealed he's a sore loser that my plans ever failed." said Adagio
"Don't forget the battle of the bands. That makes three fails. Still better then Sonata's record for ideas though." sniped Aria.
"Why is it that you three's lives sound like one of the most insane but awesome fantasy book that could ever be written?" asked Sunset.
"We lived around the time of Discord's rain." Answered Aria as she blasted a ghost backwards causing it to slam in to a frozen ghost and both slide in to a sensor trigger on a trap and get sucked in.
"Oh the merlocks. I forgot about that." Sonata said throwing out another trap.
"Suddenly I am very appreciative of that fact that you three have been through so much insanity. I think we have a real chance because of that." Twilight said while wrangling a ghost into a trap.
The ghosts' numbers start to dwindle then the big boss comes out with a giant scalpel. "Oh you've got to be bucking kidding!" Said Sunset as the giant blade came down missing her by inches as she jumped clear.
"Stay away from her you spectral bitch!" Shouted Twilight as she blasted the ghost not with her Proton Pack but a purple blast of magic instead. Twilight teleported in front of Sunset and stood between Sunset and the ghost defensively. "Are you alright Sunny?" Twilight asked over her shoulder. Sunset looked at the now ponied up Twilight and saw an air of confidence that was not the norm for Twilight. Even this many year later Twilight still tended to be withdrawn into herself to an extent even with so many friends.
"Yeah, but aren't I supposed be the one that saves you." Sunset smirked as she got her feet and rejoined the fray.
"You have already saved me from myself Sunset." Twilight said softly as she flexed her soft lavender wings. "Let's put this one away and be done with it Sunset."
Sunset thought that she had heard a note of fatigue in Twilight's voice when she was speaking but she had to concentrate on the situation and worry about Twilight later. Aria chose now to make a joke. "Get a stable you two." She said as she laid in to the ghost with her twin proton pistols.
"Now is not the time Ari." Sonata said while sliming the ghost to try and slow her down.
"Whatever you two have got in your bag of tricks over there now is a good time." Adagio replied.
"Hey that gives me a idea." Said Sunset as she ponys up. "I really only used this spell once but it got blocked now's a good time as any for it, cover me while I change it up." She holsters her wand and puts her hands together as they started flowing.
"I'll cover you Sunset." Twilight said charging her own magic. "Alright you big overgrown ego, come and get me!" Twilight shouted as she charged the ghost head on slamming into her and knocking down the hallway. Twilight stood ready for the impending counter attack.
Sonata looks to Adagio. "Wow she has got it real bad doesn't she Dagi?" to which Adagio merely nodded while keeping her eyes on the settling dust in the impact area.
The ghost stood up screaming. "Twilight, every pony get down!" Shouted Sunset as she raised her hands over her head spreading them out making a vary large fire ball.
Aria's pony ears fell back. "Oh Buck! Battle caster!" She shouted as she dived through a door taking it off its hinges followed seconds later by her sister. The dazzlings remembering this spell from when it was actively taught to unicorn soldiers.
She let the fire ball lose at the ghost, Twilight teleported behind Sunset. "You could warn me next time!" Twilight looked down the hall as the fire ball hit the ghost with a massive blast "I-i-is it over?"
The smoke slowly cleared showing a massive amount of damage to the hall and quite stunned ghost floating on its back. "You it's satisfying to finally get that off effectively." Said Sunset as she and the others depowerd.
"Oh thank goodness. Sunset I feel a little funny, I think I'm gonna..." Twilight was unable to finish her sentence as she passed out while she reverted back to normal and collapsed to the floor.
""Twilight! Twilight!" Shouted Sunset as she and the others rushed to her.
"Aria help me trap the ghost! Sonata, Sunset get Twilight out of here and back to Egon and Ray." Adagio shouted.